Deploying Your Skills: The Libraries and Veterans National Forum Project

Veterans, service members, and their families can be found in virtually any library across the country. Due to their military connections, these patrons can have unique needs. For example, student veterans who are deployed overseas during the semester may need expanded access to online resources, or veterans in public libraries may need information about eligibility for VA benefits. To support these populations effectively, libraries may need to cultivate new partnerships, such as with campus veterans centers, local veteran service organizations, and county or state VA officials. Although many librarians recognize the importance of supporting the veterans in their libraries and communities, getting started with this work can be challenging. Librarians may have difficulty navigating the confusing jargon of the military and VA, lack connections for building new collaborations, or just not know where to get started.

The Libraries & Veterans National Forum Toolkit is intended to make it easier for librarians to support the veteran and military-affiliated communities, whether they are just getting started with this work or they have long-standing programs. The Toolkit contains ideas for programs, services, exhibits, and other resources contributed by experienced librarians from all types of libraries. Librarians can browse the toolkit to find examples of materials used for veteran-related displays, authors for author talks and book clubs, furnishings and layouts for veteran study spaces, strategies for orientation presentations, and much more.

This panel discussion is intended to introduce librarians to the toolkit from multiple perspectives, including the perspectives of the librarians who created it, librarians who contributed content to it, and librarians who then used that content in their own libraries. The panel will include interactive engagement with the toolkit as well as opportunities for attendees to brainstorm their own submissions to the toolkit.